Improvement in kilns for drying grain



GREENLEAF & VICE.

I Kilnfor Drying Grain. No. 38,382, Patented May 5,1863,

Witnesses: I Inventor-5'. 52 JQ. d 7102,

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ABNER GREENLEAF, JR, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, AND THOMAS C. VICE, OF NEW HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

IMPROVEMENT IN KlLNS FOR DRYING GRAIN.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 38,352, dated May 5, 1863.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that we, ABNER GREENLEAF, Jr., of Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, and THoMAs C. VICE, of New Haven, in the county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Kilns for Drying Grain and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanyin g drawings, forming a part of this specification, in Which- Figure 1 represents a longitudinal vertical section of our invention. Fig. 2 is a horizontal section of the same.

Similar letters of reference in both views indicate corresponding parts.

Toenable others skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will proceed to describe it.

A represents the brick-work of a kiln, which is intended to support a suitable platform, and to be used for drying grain, 8110.

B is the furnace or fire-place, arranged on one end of the kiln, and provided with a suit able fire-door and grate-bars in the ordinary manner. The heat from the fire in the furnace passes through. pipes C into the flue-chamber D, at the rear end of the kiln, and thence back again through pipes C to the chimney in front. The ends of the pipes C C are supported by crooks or thimbles E, of fire-proof cement, and provided with an opening, a, the diameter of which is larger on one end than on the other, forming a ledge in the middle of the crock, to bear against the end of the pipe, as clearly shown in the drawings. The larger diameter is equal to the outside and the smaller diameter equal to the inside diameter of the pipe, and thereby the end of the pipe is saved against the injurious influence of the flame and the escape of smoke into the kiln, and damage to the grain by the smoke is prevented.

The flue-chamber D is built up'of brick, and lined with fire-brick, so that the flame does .not strike against a metal surface, and in passing through the pipes C, flue-chamberD, and

pipes C theheat is evenly distributed throughout the whole kiln, and the damaging concentration of heat in single pipes or elbows of iron is avoided. The front ends of the pipes C pass into a flue-chamber, F, which communicates by a flue, F, with the chimney, and which is also covered with iron.

G is a pipe of large diameter, intended to conduct the heat from the steam-boiler furnace through the whole length of the kiln and back again to the chimney. Suitable dampers in this pipe enable the operator to turn the heat from the boiler-furnace directly into the chimney or into the kiln. By using the heat which emanates from the boiler-furnace, and which is generally passed off directly into the chimney and wasted, and passing the same through the kiln, a large percentage of fuel is saved, and in some cases the operation of drying grain can be conducted entirely with the heat of the boiler-furnace, no extra fire being required in the furnace of the kiln.

The brick-work of the furnace supports the platform H, on which the grain is exposed to the heat for the purpose of drying the same, and the grain is fed to said platform over the sieve I, which is suspended in an inclined position from the top of the casing or cover J. This cover supports a suitable hopper, through which the grain is fed to the inclined sieve. The bottom of the hopper forms a slide, K, provided with a number of openings, 0, and if these openings are brought to register with the tubes (1 the grain drops down. By removing the openings 0 from over the tubes the supply of grain to the sieve is shut off.

The velocity with which the grain passes down over the sieve is regulated by increasin g or decreasing the inclination of the same, and, if desired, two or more sieves arranged in tiers,'one above the other, may be used, and a shaking motion may be imparted to the sieve by any desirable means.

In passing down over the inclined sieve I the grain is partially dried, so that it takes but little time to finish the operation of drying when the grain reaches the platform H.

A blast of air introduced through an aperture, d, under the platform H, and passing out through openings l in the cover J, serves to carry off the moisture rising from the grain.

By the use of the sieve or sieves I the drying area can be increased at pleasure.

The grain is cooled by receiving a blast of air as it passes from the kiln.

What we claim as new, and desire to secure by LettersPatent, is-

l. The arrangement of the crooks or thimbles E with openings on, the diameter of which is larger on one end than on the other, to correspond to the inside and outside diameter of the fire flues or pipes C O, and to be used in combination with said pipes, substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

2. The arrangement of the flue-chamber D ABNER GREENLEAF, JR. THOS. O. VICE.

"Witnesses:

M. S. PARTRIDGE, DANIEL ROBERTSON. 

